hardhead sea catfish
Ariopsis felis
Catfish of estuaries and inlets of the Gulf of Mexico, often caught from bridges and piers. It has stinging spines, and the males carry the eggs in their mouths.
Also called: bagre-de-cabeça-dura, bagre boca chica, bagre gato, hardhead sea catfish
- maximum
- 70 cm
- record/max.
- 5.5 kg
who is the hardhead sea catfish
Catfish of the family Ariidae, up to 70 cm and 5.5 kg, with a common size near 25 cm. Adults live in inland waters and enter estuaries, in murky water over muddy bottoms. It occurs from Massachusetts, USA, to the Gulf of Mexico and southern Florida, including Mexico. Males incubate the eggs in their mouths. It is often caught from bridges, piers and passes, and has a small commercial fishery. It is edible but is usually not eaten.
Essential profile. Identification, where it occurs and rules, with data from FishBase and the cited regulations. Season, time of day, technique and bait are added once we have a good source for the hardhead sea catfish; in the meantime, see the similar species.
fun facts
- Males incubate the eggs in their mouths.
identification
Catfish with a scaleless body, flat head with a bony shield and barbels around the mouth. The dorsal and pectoral fins have strong spines. It lives in murky water over muddy bottoms, in estuaries, inlets and channels, and is one of the marine catfish most often caught from bridges and piers in the Gulf of Mexico and the US East Coast.
Loading the next 7 days…
Each card shows the day's index (0 to 100) and, below it, a strip with the index for each hour, from 0h to 23h. from poor to excellent.
Essential profile: the index uses a general fish model (weather, sun, moon and tide), without a season or time of day specific to this species.
where found
In Mexico it occurs in the Gulf, in estuaries, inlets and murky waters over muddy bottoms.
Habitat: Estuaries, inlets and murky coastal waters over muddy bottoms.
rules for the hardhead sea catfish
Summary of the regulations we found, with the source for each. Rules change; before keeping or transporting fish, check with the state environmental agency.
We found no species-specific rule beyond the region's general rules.
catch and release
catch and release Releasing the fish alive, quickly and with a wet hand. During a closed season it isn't always allowed: what the regulation says applies.
The fin spines can cause injuries, so hold the catfish by the body, away from the fins, and remove the hook carefully.
in the kitchen
It is edible, but it is usually not eaten.
how much it weighs without taking it out of the water
Length-weight relationship W = a·Lb (a = 0.00813, b = 3.09; FishBase (relação peso-comprimento bayesiana, estimativa da própria espécie)). It's an average: a fat or lean fish can vary by 10% to 20%.
estimated weight
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sources and references
Essential profile: size, length-weight, depth, countries and conservation come from FishBase and the cited regulations, and the texts were written from those sources. Season, time of day, sensitivities, technique and baits and lures are not included yet, because we did not find a good source for this species.
- scientific FishBase: Ariopsis felis (ficha da espécie)Size, length-weight, depth, habitat, distribution, biology, and IUCN status. Page checked on Oct 13, 2026.
- scientific FishBase: nomes populares de Ariopsis felisNames by country and language.
